Christmas Bells are Ringing, Ringing!

Hello all my dear friends in Bloggyland!  I know it's been a few days, but we've been so busy here lately. I never knew getting ready for Christmas could be such a busy time! Well, mostly for Mommie, but if she's busy, then I don't get to write very often.  Mommie says she is sorry, and this will probably be a longer post since we're making up for lost time!

First of all, I want to show you my very beautiful new Christmas dress!  

It arrived in a very exciting package in the mail last week, addressed to ME, and it said to "Open Now!"

Inside was the beautiful dress, and boots and stockings and all kinds of fun stuff!

And this beautiful picture of my "identical cousin Tracie", wearing the same dress!  Her Mommie, my "Auntie Debbi", got this pretty dress for Tracie, and Tracie wanted me to have one too, and so they sent me one just like it!  I was SO excited I had to put it on right away!! My Mommie said that Tracie and her Mommie are so very very thoughtful and kind.  This made us both so very happy.  Mommie said that sometimes people just love to give gifts and they do it because they love Jesus and they love people, and we can't always repay everyone who gives us gifts, but we can always say "thank you" and perhaps we can do some special kindness for someone else and pass it along.

Mommie shared this special song/poem with me that we sometimes hear or sing at Christmas:

Christmas is all about Jesus' Birthday, and that's why people love to give gifts to one another, to celebrate His birth.  But the most important gift of all is for us to give our hearts to Jesus, and to live for Him...and share that gift with everyone we meet. 

I know I love Jesus, and I want to give Him my heart too.

How about you?

Lately I've  noticed a lot of churches around here in our Christmas decorations.

Mommie even has one on her teacup that she's been drinking her morning tea out of each day:

There's little churches that light up:

And some bigger churches that are like birdhouses...(Mommie said this one really isn't a Christmas decoration, but it stays out all year long because it is so pretty:

Here's another little one over by the skating pond:

And this one is hanging on the tree!

So is this pretty gold one! Mommie said this ornament came from a church where she used to work:

And then of course there's our pretty little church in our "Little Village of Bethlehem" 

One thing I noticed is that all the churches have something called a "steeple". I asked Mommie what's a steeple? And she said it is the place where they hang the bell! Oh! A bell? "Yes, " Mommie said, "and they ring the bells when it is time for church to start or when there is something special happening that they want the people to know about!"

Some church bells even play songs, like Christmas carols, and people can hear them all over town. 

That must be very wonderful to hear! Have you ever lived in a town where the church bells played real songs?  Mommie said that she has, and it was so lovely. One place where she lived they played hymns every day at noontime. It was really beautiful to hear.

Mommie said that especially the churches would ring the bells on Christmas day, to celebrate the Birthday of Jesus!

She showed me some other special little bells on our Christmas tree:

This little Caroler is actually a bell, and Mommie said that her Grandma gave this to her when she was a little girl:

And this special little  angel ornament is ringing bells. Mommie said this one reminds her of my big brother Matthew, who is in heaven now, and maybe he is helping to ring the bells of heaven on Christmas day!

These next three little bells belonged to each of my big brothers when they were little:

Mommie said when my big brothers were little they used to say a little poem when they would hang the bells on the Christmas tree...it went something like this:

"Christmas bells are ringing, ringing.

Christmas bells are ringing, ringing.

Happy Birthday, Jesus dear!

Happy Happy Birthday!

Then they would hang a star in the tree and say:

Christmas stars are shining, shining.

Christmas stars are shining, shining.

Happy Birthday, Jesus, dear!

Happy Happy Birthday!

And here's another beautiful angel ringing some bells:

And then they'd say:

Christmas angels singing, singing.

Christmas angels singing, singing,

Happy Birthday, Jesus, dear!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

And then they'd sing Happy Birthday to Jesus!  I thought that was really really special!

Did you do anything special like that with your family when you decorated the Christmas tree?

Mommie said it is nice to have special traditions and memories...

Well, I guess that's all for today. Oh, one more picture I think you'll love:

This is me with my big sissie, "Baby Elva".  We are both in our pretty Christmas dresses, and guess what! We BOTH have red and white striped stockings!!!  Isn't that special???

We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas!!

Now, let's go ring some Christmas bells!!

Happy Birthday Jesus, Dear, 

Happy Happy Birthday!!